A Seaside mother and daughter have been charged in connection with a cat-hoarding case in which humane officers seized 51 cats and found 113 dead kittens.

The District Attorney”s Office said Donna Johnson was charged with three felony counts of animal cruelty, and she and her mother, Maggie Johnson, were also charged with three counts each of misdemeanor animal neglect.

They are to be arraigned Sept. 11, prosecutors said.

Deputy District Attorney Marie Aronson said the younger woman is about 45 and her mother is 79.

The case, which drew international coverage, started July 24 when SPCA humane officers, acting on a tip from a property manager, searched a house and nearby apartment and found 51 adult cats and the remains of 113 very young kittens.

The seized cats needed medical treatment, food and water because they were found living in cramped, extremely filthy and badly ventilated quarters, prosecutors said.

The SPCA for Monterey County said Thursday that four of the rescued cats had to undergo emergency surgery for pyometra, a severe infection of the uterus. Two of the cats were in such bad shape they had to be euthanized, the SPCA said. A third cat died of unknown causes.

At the time, the SPCA said there were reports that some of the seized cats may have been taken from local streets. But no matches have been made with owners looking for missing cats, the SPCA said.

The remaining rescued cats are improving in health, and the majority are living in two large “colony rooms” at the SPCA shelter with “numerous gifts generously donated from compassionate people from around the world,” the SPCA said.

The rescued cats are coming out of hiding and wanting to be brushed and petted, the SPCA said.